


My Savior in A Titan's Body

by TheWritingDork



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: //wary eyebrows//, I'll add in the appropriate tags when needed, M/M, So yeah, There will be death, and fluff, and maybe smut later on, as well as possible pairings, because these two will not just stay in the wild
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-20
Updated: 2014-07-20
Packaged: 2018-02-09 15:19:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1987812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWritingDork/pseuds/TheWritingDork
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Armin Arlert has always been a child cast down upon, born on the day the walls that were suppose to protect humanity were completed. All alone with no friends, he was an outcast, bullied every day, only having his family of his parents and his grandfather to accompany him. That all changed, though, on the day of his tenth birthday, when one thing happened that changed everything, not just for him, but the rest of humanity.</p>
            </blockquote>





	My Savior in A Titan's Body

**Author's Note:**

> Based off of this prompt: http://sacrificialoath.tumblr.com/post/92202867978/eremin-au-when-armins-parents-disappeared-armin-took
> 
> And I want to thank my lovely editor, Mickey, who can be found at ask-a-armin.tumblr.com and on here with the username mickeyissokawaii, so go check him out and hit him up, but only after you read this, heh.

Ever since the protective walls that had been up since my birth in 835, just completing Wall Maria, everyone was happy, peaceful, content. Some people took my birth, as it was on the day everything was finished to be a sign from whatever Lord that humanity would be able to grow, regain it's losses, and be able to prosper again soon. My parents, my mother and father, though, didn't believe in such things. They knew this wall business wouldn't last, and they thought I would be able to help out when things went sour. 

In all honesty, putting such faith into a child who just happened to, by coincidence, be born on that day, is sheer stupidity, but I wasn't going to question my family's actions and thoughts over it. In honor of that, they named me something that seemed fitting to their thoughts of my future- Armin, meaning 'soldier', 'protective', or 'army man', depending on how you took it and translated it. 

Now, answer me this- how could a fragile child, who always would get beaten up for not approving of the walls, for speaking his mind, and always being alone be able to be such a great warrior? Everyone 'gave up' on me once I said I hated the walls my birth was suppose to commemorate. Stupid idiots, clinging onto such hope, and clinging onto me to help bind it...

✄-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Another day, another beating... that's my motto for my life, at least. I always get some sort of beating from the kids in my neighborhood, whether it be physical, verbal, or both- today, it was verbal, lucky for me. Whenever I would get beaten, I would have to deal with my mother's way of treating me, which was very badly. It was the best we could come up with, though, since we barely even had enough money to sustain the four of us all together. 

So, here I sat, sitting in a secluded spot by the river where I was able to read my book in peace. It was further off, close to my home, so it was an ideal spot for me. Huddling by the walls of the steps and the small bridge that went across the water, I read about a greater expanse of water that I'd always dreamed of seeing, as my parents both always talked so fondly of it. They said it had been where they met as children before they had to run away from the creatures that kept us inside these walls. The story wasn't very long or powerful, but just how they described it made me want to go. Maybe if I went there, I could find someone who would love me too, someone besides my parents and grandfather...

Thoughts like that were what drove me to see it, though, with how strict security was around the small entrance of the Shingansina district, my family doubted they would be able to show me, though, they had promised me that, whenever they could, they would take me, which made me smile whenever I thought of it. As a child who has no friends, you have to have something that keeps you from getting you so depressed, right? 

Sighing, I looked up at the walls, watching as the sun was beginning to set. Finally, I remembered what today was- ah, yes, I was turning ten today, the decade anniversary of the walls completion, which explained all of the hooting from the homes, as well as the ungodly scent of alcohol. Getting up and dusting the dirt from my pants, I started to make my way home, my book close to my chest. 

While walking, though, I had a bad feeling, some twisting feeling in my stomach, and it wasn't from the verbal bullets I received earlier. Turning around, towards the top of the wall, as the sun was touching it's tip from the sky, I felt like I was going to get sick as there was a sudden bright light, crashing down to that very spot, to the ground outside on the walls behind it. It caused the ground to shake, and it sent me flying onto my back, emitting a small cry before I looked up, eyes shrinking at the sight I saw- a Titan, face contorted and made only from muscles, staring down at us with such large eyes. 

I could feel the whole town take a collective gasp before he crashed his foot through the wall, sending stones flying everywhere, making a huge gust fly through and knock people who were closer to the wall flying back yards and yards. The fact that I was right for once didn't make me feel proud, but mortified... the Shingansina district had been broken into, and the Titans were starting to flood in collectively. 

The Titans were flooding in... they were coming in, in the direction of his home, which was across the bridge and closer to the walls.

Mom, Dad, and Grandfather were in trouble.

My feet carried me and helped me run ahead as fast as I could through the crowd of people who were pushing against me, not giving a shit who I was, just that I was slowing down their progress. It took a little bit of time to get across the bridge, and when I finally did, I dropped my book off the ledge onto the little sidewalk below, which I didn't care for at the moment. The only thoughts in my mind were my family, if they were ok, if the Titans had gotten to them yet. I could feel my heart pounding faster, and tears forming at the thoughts of what could happen if they had been found by them, but I pushed those back out of my mind as I continued to race forward.

When I was nearly there, I saw my grandfather, who had been calling for me. Relief washed over his face when he saw me, and he grabbed me by my shoulders. "Oh, thank god you're ok, Armin, I was so worried. Come on, we need to get going to the boats before they're too full-"

Hearing him say this, without saying anything about Mom or Dad, I just couldn't handle it. Shaking my head, getting out of his grasp, I pushed him into the flooding crowd of people he pulled me out of. "I'll meet you at the boats with Mom and Dad, don't worry!" I could hear his cries, him calling my name as he tried to get through, but he was a frailer older man, and the people just kept pushing him further along through the escape route, leaving me alone as I ran along the sides of the route, going to my home to get Mom and Dad.

Though, when I reached my small home and searched through it, there were no signs of them, and I could feel myself starting to take in sharper, quicker breaths, and I shook my head. No, they're fine, they have to be. Running out of the home, I ran around the area for places they could be, calling out for them as people were still running away, pushing past me and making me fall to the ground, saying obscene things about me. Right now, though, I was able to ignore them- only my mother and father mattered right now.

After a bit of running, I was out of breath, as I was still a child who just turned ten. Leaning back against the walls, panting, and I must of hit my head hard while doing so, because I felt myself lose consciousnes. I don't know how long I was out, but something horrifying brought me out of it- the sounds of people screaming, and they weren't just people I didn't know, the ones I had been ignoring before. They were... they were my parents.

Eyes opening as fast as could be, my body jolting up from sitting and leaning against the wall to standing, I looked around, seeing it nearly deserted of living humans. I turned to the direction the screams came from, and the sight I saw made my eyes widen. I wanted to fall down, hurl, and just scream out bloody murder.

My parents were being picked apart by Titans, limb from limb, blood splattering the surrounding area, the sound of bones and limbs cracking filling the air, along with the screams that soon ceased. Honestly, I felt myself become light-headed, and I didn't dare look at the sight anymore, as two of the four Titans, who weren't getting their share of human meat, looked over and saw me. They seemed to have some competitive look in their eyes, like 'who can get to the scrawny child first to eat him'?

Tears blurring my vision, I turned around and ran, glad now that I had stopped and rested. The vision of my parents being picked apart like how you pull apart chicken, though, was etched into my brain, along with their blood-curdling screams. I had to make it to the boats, I had to, to see Grandfather...

Though, even if adrenaline was rushing through my veins, it didn't make me any better of a runner. My foot tripped over a sprawled hand that was leftover from some sloppy Titan who had chewed up his meal messily, causing me to fall face-first into the concrete. Instantly, I hissed, pulling my leg up to my chest, as pain was searing, emanating from there. Something was bruised, twisted, or broken, that was for sure. It consumed me for the moment until I felt the ground slightly shake underneath me, and I gasped when I turned around, seeing them coming right towards me. Two Titans were about to tower over me and try to see who could grab me first; one was a four meter class Titan, the other a seven meter class. Closing my eyes, I prepared for the worst, muttering wishes for my Grandfather to at least be safe.

I did feel a hand grab me, but not until I heard the sound of what might of been fighting, wrestling, roaring from the creatures, and the sound of two heavy things falling to the ground. The crashing made the ground under me vanish for a moment as it made me fly up into the air, causing me to try out even more. Opening my eyes as I looked to who it could of been, my eyes widened to see a Titan, almost ten meters tall with long dark hair and sea foam green eyes, holding me close to his chest as he ran to the outside of the walls. For a second, I stopped breathing. Was he going to take me outside the wall so I could be eaten, where he was more comfortable with his surroundings?

Whatever he planned on doing, I didn't get to see, because the pain from my leg was searing, so painful that I ended up blacking out, leaning into the hands of the Titan that had taken me away from the streets, now taking me away from my home that will never be again.

✄-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I swear, I thought I was dead- the shining light from above would of been proof enough, but it turned out to just be my eyes adjusting to the bright sunlight. Blinking a few times, my hands reaching up to rub the sleep from my eyes. I tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through from my leg through my entire body, causing me to suck in air through closed teeth, pull it close, and shut up eyes tightly again. So, none of that had been a dream, either, which had been my second idea, but no, it had all been real. 

Sorrow started to consume me as images and the sounds of my Mom and Dad flooded my mind, my face starting to get wet. Going to hold my leg tighter and closer to my chest, I lurched forward, watching as my tears hit down on the grass. 

Wait, grass?

Looking up, I felt myself tense, as I looked around for the creature that had swooped by, picked me up, then ran off with me. Glancing around, I saw that there were cows by me, mooing and grazing on grass, which surprised me, as they were only found within the farms in the actual Wall Maria. I couldn't see any signs of a wall anywhere, only the cows that seemed to be far off from a field, because there weren't any buildings around either.

Biting down on my lower lip, I started to whimper, looking down at my leg. With no medical knowledge in my brain, I just sat there until I heard the sound of something large, the vibrations under my feet notifying me, as well as the cows mooing. Turning in that direction, I saw the Titan from before, the one who had saved me, as he appeared from a forest that I had not been paying attention to before. It didn't take him long to come over and kneel down to me, staring at me with those huge eyes. 

And, of course, I did what any sane person would do- scream and crawl back, yelling at it. 

Well, it seemed pretty sane at the time. Though, the creature just cocked his head at me, still staring. I did the same back, narrowing my eyes curiously. He wasn't trying to eat me whatsoever, and he seemed to have no interest in doing so as well. If he really didn't, then why had he saved me?

A small noise seemed to escape from the back of his throat, and I realized he was trying to speak to me. I was confused, though, because I couldn't quite catch what he was saying. "Excuse me? I can't understand you..." That seemed to get him annoyed, and I stiffened- he was annoyed because I couldn't understand him. 

After a moment or two, though, he pointed down at me, and I couldn't figure out why until he showed me his fist, which he now closed, and he slowly spread it open, gesturing it a bit forward when he finished, gesturing it right towards me. Still, this didn't make sense, and I did the same with my own hand. 

Though, it was clearly not what he meant as he let out an irritated noise from the back of his throat, and I quickly understood that 'it was not that'. Watching again, he had his hand open, and then he pointed from it to me. Wait, did he want me to spread out like his fingers? I asked him that, and he quickly nodded.

Sighing, I complied, doing so. With that done, he then pointed right down to my leg, the one that had been injured. Oh, so he wanted to know what was up with it. "Oh, uh, I think it's hurt," I shyly replied, still looking at him, as I was really quite fascinated, it finally catching up to be after the initial shock.

All my life, I had been told and taught that Titans were mindless creatures, ones who only wanted to consume us humans, to wipe us out before moving on to whatever would next occupy their mind, but this Titan was different. This Titan was intelligent, picked up body language, and understood English. This creature was defying everything that I had been told about them, but how was this possible?

Listening to me, he nodded, confirming he had heard me before he picked me up, a lot more gentler this time, and placing me into the palm of his hand that he kept straight and outstretched as he walked back into the woods. Looking around, as the trees were amazingly huge, I saw all of the different wildlife I had read about, and I was gasping nearly every other second, smiling wide. 

After a bit of walking, he stopped, placed me down on a soft lush patch of grass before he backed up, kneeling down, and laying on his stomach. I was confused, and was about to get up before there was a sudden burst of hot air from him, and I now understood why he was at such a distance away from me. Though, I tried to focus in on something, as my eyes widened, as there was something now on the creatures neck- no, wait, something was escaping from it!

There was a small noise from it, sounding a bit similar to the noises that escaped the Titan's throat, and it made me stiffen a bit. I stayed where I was, and I watched a full being, a human, come out, then come down in a wobbly manner, eventually coming and running over to me, grinning wide. What had come out from there was a boy, looking to be my age, with brown shaggy hair that was long, but still not longer than my hair, the same sea foam green eyes from the creature, and a deep tan body. Though, one thing on him made me squeak, well, besides the fact that he had just came out from the nape of the Titan's neck- he wasn't wearing any clothes.

Squeaking quite loudly, more loudly than I would have liked, I shielded my eyes and looked the other way. "D-don't you have anything you could be wearing?!" When all I heard was a small noise again, I sighed, looking over and seeing that he was looking at me, seeming to be a bit sad. Seeing him like that hurt, and I sighed, getting up carefully, but it ended with me wincing and falling to the ground. Well, almost falling.

I felt the boy from the Titan catch me before I actually managed to hit the ground. He had a worried look on his face, and another noise escaped him as he looked at my leg. Sighing, I watched as he sat me back down, and he ran off for a minute before he came back, holding some leaves and fruit in his hand. I was confused on how that would help, but he kneeled down next to me, pulling back my pants gently, and he started to get to work.

As we both sat there, me glancing around nervously, him intent on his work, I looked at him. Biting down on my lower lip, I finally spoke up. "Thanks... for saving me, and sorry for yelling at you." His eyes looked away from his work, and back towards me. Showing his teeth, he gave off a toothy grin, as well as a reaffirming nod before continuing to work. Though, I continued to look at him. How could he of been in the back of that thing? How did he control it so well? How did he even get in it? 

I knew the questions couldn't be answered, though, because he couldn't even speak. Watching him, he seemed cold, shivering every now-and-then. I bit down on my bottom lip for a moment, an idea hitting me. I took off my faded aqua jacket and put it over his shoulders, which made him let out a small noise of surprise. Lifting himself up, he looked at it, then back over to me. Smiling, I helped him put it on properly, and even did the top button on it. It seemed to make him happy as he let out a content laughter.

"I'm Armin, by the way." He scrunched his nose up at that, and he moved his mouth in an odd way, and I didn't know what he was doing until I realized he was trying to say it. Smiling and chuckling, I held onto his hand carefully. "Watch my lips," I said, giggling a little bit. Looking back at me, he nodded. 

I sounded it out to him, and he watched my lips move. I repeated this a few times until he tried it on his own. "Aw... nin..." A chuckle escaped my lips, and I shook my head, but reassured him to keep trying. After a few tries, he finally got it. "Arm... in... Armin... Armin!" He seemed so triumphant as he laughed, saying my name over and over, his fists raised high into the air.

Laughing, I nodded. "Yes, yes, Armin! Do you have a name?" His attention was brought back to me as he shook his head. That made me stick out my lower lip, which I did when I was bothered. "Well, how about we give you one?" That made him flash his toothy smile again as he nodded. Now I racked my mind for names, thinking of the ones I read through in the 'Best Baby Names' book that was in my home. 

"Hm... Nathan?" Hearing that, he shook his head in disgust, scrunching up his nose. "Alright, no Nathan. Uh, Edward, Alphonse, or Hugh?" All of those got a nasty noise from the back of his throat, which made me laugh. "Ok, ok!" We went through a few more names, all of them making him have a repulsed reaction. After a while, we finally came to one he agreed on.

"So, your name is gonna be Eren now?" He hummed happily, nodding. "Well, ok then, Eren!" A sound of joy left Eren's lips, and I couldn't help but smile and laugh. Eren had found me, and he chose to save me, so now i was indebted to him. I could plan to help him speak English, and to find him better clothes, help him learn how to be human, but none of that could repay the fact that he had saved my life.

I owed him my life, my savior in a Titan's body.


End file.
